Graduate Program

If you are interested in pursuing a graduate research career in the Rochester Baby Lab or the Rochester Kid Lab, you should apply to the PhD program in Brain & Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester.

Please specify in your application which of the lab-affiliated faculty members (Aslin, Cantlon, and/or Kidd) with whom you are interested in working to ensure that they review it.

Requirements

Competitive applicants to the PhD program need not necessarily have a background in developmental psychology, but they must have previous research experience and strong programming skills. Applicants with computational backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply.

More on the PhD program

Research Assistantships

Research assistants in the Rochester Baby Lab work on all levels of the lab's research studies, from scheduling families to running studies to analyzing data. Most positions are for part-time undergraduate students. We also accept applications for summer volunteer positions from especially spectacular high-school students with interest in developmental psychology research.

Competitive applicants to undergraduate research assistantship positions need not necessarily have any previous research experience, but should have previous programming experience. Programming is required at most stages of the research process, from setting up experiments on eye-trackers and tablets to analyzing data.

Apply for an RA position

We review applications on a rolling basis, and when a slot becomes available, we typically hire from within the existing pool of applications we have on file. To apply, please send your application to lab manager Holly Palmeri. Your application should including the following materials:

A) Your CV

B) A cover letter that includes the following information:

1. Why you're interested in working in the lab

2. What you're hoping to gain from the experience

3. Post-graduation goals (if known)

4. Experience working with children

5. Programming experience

6.

An open, unanswered question in cognitive science or developmental psychology that you'd be most interested in investigating through empirical research and why you think it's interesting

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Holly Palmeri, the lab manager of the Rochester Baby Lab and Rochester Kid Lab.